Desperate Assad Says “No Option Except Victory”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said there is no “option except victory” in the country’s civil war, the Independent reports, saying the government could not reach “results” with opposition groups that attended recent peace talks.

More than six years into the Syrian conflict, Assad appears militarily unassailable in the areas of western Syria where he has shored up his rule with decisive help from the Russian military and Iranian-backed militias from across the region.

“If we do not this war, it means that Syria will be deleted from the map. We have no choice in facing this war, and that’s why we are confident, we are persistent and we are determined,” he said.

More than 70 people, including at least 20 children, were killed in the chemical attack on Tuesday. Read more at the Independent.